T: Sweet initially. Sweet caramel, sweet breads. Like shortbread I guess, that's the best way I can describe it. Bourbon barrel poundcake? Touch of cloves in the middle and finish with more sweetbread. Turns a little dry in the finish with cloves and oak primarily. Light little touch of toffee.

M: Smooth, medium bodied. Slightly dry finish.

O: Interesting transition in about two years. It is wayyyy less hot and harsh. However, the bourbon flavors are still strong, just different. Really not much of a tripel presence at all still. Not much in the way of belgian yeast at all other than a pretty subdued spiciness. I actually did not change the scores at all. It's about the same overall. Very different, but equal?

---Original fresh bottling review from 02-25-2012:

A: A nice murky brown pour with a bit of reddish highlights in it. Small/Medium-sized slightly off-white head. Despite the smallish head the retention is surprisingly good. Lacing is pretty solid too.(4)

T: Again, tons of bourbon. Lots of sweet caramel, molasses, brown sugar and vanilla. Perhaps some toffee and earthy notes in there. Plenty of oak to go around too. Even has a bit of a bite from all of the bourbon. Not much to mention on the tripel side, maybe a bit of bready yeast and some spices, mainly pepper. (4)

M: Medium-bodied, a touch drying and a little bit of a bourbon sting.(4)

O: Wish I had sat on it a bit to let the bourbon subside. Definitely a beer for the bourbon lover, it's loaded with it. I never would have guessed that there was a tripel under it though. At least it tastes like good bourbon!(4)

More User Reviews:

Dark, burnt gold, with some rubies and fire oranges as well. Very little visible carbonation. Only a small ring of near-white foam tops this beer. Leaves the glass with dotted stick. Only average for the style.

The bourbon and the barrel make up the dominant aromas, along with only a minimal character from the base tripel. There's a bit of a honey sweetness accompanying the distinct bourbon, but there's only a minimal yeast character.

The flavor is similar to the aroma, as the bourbon and the barrel are very dominant. Very little, almost zero, yeast character is present. There's some honey and mild banana sweetness, but the boozy bourbon dominates.

Medium bodied with very low carbonation.

I suppose this sounds good in theory, and beers like Allagash Curieux certainly pull it off. This one isn't anything particularly special though. I'll happily finish the bottle though. It's certainly not bad.

medium brown coloured body. Bourbon aroma and boozy, not overpowering. Initially rich and sweet,getting a malt liquor taste not the characteristics of a triple. Acidic at the end of the bottle. Decent drinkability. My first jackie-O, expecting more.Thanks for hooking me up Steve.Above average mouthfeel.

On draft at Jackie O's. What a line-up on the board. Only 9 or 10 BBA beers, no big deal.

Pours a little dark for the style. Head is all but gone aside from the lacing on the glass.

Smells of bourbon, vanilla, cream, wheat.

Woah! It tastes better than it smells, which is saying a lot. I was the Pavlovian dog post-whistle after admiring the nose, but wow. Creamy, rich, hints of bourbon and cream running wild through this triple. I understand why people would take points away from it, but I refuse. So tasty.

The lack of carbonation made this slide right down the ol' gullet. Again, could knock it because of style, but not today folks.

Amazing. Jackie O's flexing it's brewing muscles. Would come back to this beer time and time again.

This beer was a pleasant surprise. The pour is a glowing amber orange color with quick white foam. The nose is fantastic. Lots of caramel, sweet bourbon and vanilla. The barrel time has tamed the spicy yeast of the base Tripel. The flavor is rich and boozy. Loads of vanilla, bourbon and an old ale quality to the finish. Really complex and interesting beer. The mouthfeel is nice, sweet and lush but not syrupy. Lingering cream and vanilla oak on the finish. Very nice body, the honey adds a lot to the complexity and weight to this beer. Good job with this one Brad.

Pours a dark caramel, darker than a standard Tripel, with a short and fleeting head. The darker color gives a hint that there is more to this beer.

Smells sweet vanilla, some oak and bourbon, pretty refreshing.

Taste is more of the same but there's an almost sour lemon flavor that mixes in actually quite well. I've seen other reviews describe it as green apple as well, but the end result is a pretty complex. Almost no yeastiness I usually associate with Belgian tripels.

Mouthfeel is a nice medium feel. Not over carbonated, and just sticky enough to complement the sweetness and bourbon.

Overall, one of my favorites from Jackie O's out of a few that I've had. Definitely one to check out if you're willing to have an open mind.

caramel color, little head or carb rising up. very hazy in appearance. smells of apple and caramel, toffee and butterscotch. very pleasant nose. taste is warming. Nice spices in here and belgian yeast is present. though the flavor of candied apple takes center stage. moderate flavor of sweetness is a good balance and the finish is strong spice. very good feel of syrup in the mouth. Coats well, wish there a slight bit more carb. Flavors are slightly artificial in taste (seems like it is due to the mouthfeel that I get this impression). Overall, nice flavors and the sweet malts go very well with the spicy tripel base.

golden in color with a light tint of reddish to it, though that maybe my eyes. Lots of cloudiness in this one for sure though with a huge billowing head of white that rises up to at least three inches before falling back down to a somewhat reasonable level. Not before dropping tons of lacing all over the sides and the bottom of the glass though.

Then I reach in to find out whats going on with the character of this one, holy crap we have a winner. Huge notes of vanilla and woody tones, light buttery malts and droves of fig like notes great me. Vanilla tones just dominate though, really just immense aroma. Warming starts to bring out some more lighter notes, peaches, light citrus tones, hints of grape skin. I cannot resist any more though and I must go in for a taste. Blown away now. I get smacked with tons of vanilla and bourbon notes right off the bat. Just melting my palate and making me sink into the chair. Simply amazing the transformation this beer has undergone in the barrel. Subtle notes of fruit coming through now, pears and plums, light tart like grape flavors, but mostly woody and vanilla just overloading your senses. Again I let it warm to bring out more subtle flavors and hints of light citrus now start popping up, drying the plate and leaving just a touch of tart

S - The smell is sweet. I get peaches, pears, and some spicy Belgian yeast. As it warms I smell some bourbon and alcohol.

T - I have a theme going here. I taste peaches. On the finish I get some bourbon and vanilla/oak.

M - It is pretty thin with low carbonation.

O - I know I had that peach thing going on with my senses, but I like it. It drinks really smooth, and I like the flavor and mouthfeel. It is not what I expected out of a tripel, but I enjoy this beer. Thank you Auslander for getting this for me.

Orangey brown in color with a thin head. Lots of lively carbonation. Oily on the swirl, but no legs. The nose is toffee, caramel, vanilla, and some bourbon. On the palate, not much is present aside from the effects of barrel aging. Bourbon, vanilla and a little toffee. White pepper and coriander are fleeting in the dry finish and do remind you that this is a tripel. Almost seems like the beer was made to let the barrel aging shine, as it really doesn't bring much to the party.